Determining the effect of plastic waste on the properties of hot mix asphalt

Recently, calls for greener and more sustainable construction projects have gained momentum and are spreading

worldwide. With the increase of the amount of wastes worldwide, many attempts are made to incorporate these waste

materials into construction projects, especially flexible pavements. Thus, this study was initiated to investigate the effects

of adding plastic waste particles to hot mix asphalt (HMA) when it comes to performance. Two different Superpave mixes

with 0%, 0.2%, 0.5%, and 1% plastic waste of aggregates weight were investigated. 3D Move Analysis software was

utilized to determine rutting depths and top down and bottom up cracking in a typical asphalt concrete layer with the

different plastic waste contents at various temperatures. Results showed that adding 0.2% plastic waste to HMA would

enhance the performance of these mixes. Also, mixes with 0% (control) and 0.5% plastic waste performed similarly.

However, when adding 1% plastic waste, mixes performed poorly. Based in these results, utilizing 0.5% plastic waste by

weight of aggregates in HMA would make flexible pavement design eco-friendlier and more sustainable, since a big

amount of plastic waste could be incorporated without effecting the performance of hot mix asphalt.

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